Master bushing for rotary oil well drilling machines



Dec. 12, 1950 MAIER 2,533,597

MASTER BUSHING FOR ROTARY OIL WELL DRILLING MACHINES Filed March 4, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l 0 FIE-2- k\' A. R. MAIER 2,533,597 MASTER BUSHING FOR ROTARY OIL WELL DRILLING MACHINES Dec. 12 1950 3 Sheets-s 2 Filed March 4 1947 Q UNFBIV MQ/f E, W' flea/6a A 2 Dec. 12, 1950 R MAIER 2,533,597

BUSHING FOR ROTARY OIL MASTER WELL DRILLING MACHINES Filed March 4, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 &. l

4 Z FIG. 5.. i6. 5Z

-4 n. 25: 54 f1 25 12*g I k l 1 J Z4! *6 I Patented Dec. 12, 1950 MASTER'BUSHI'NFOR ROTARY OIL WELL DRILLING MACHINESv August B Major; Oil. City, P'a., assignorr tor. Oil

Well. Supply Jersey.

Qompany, corporation: of" New Application March l, 1947;.Se1ial No. 732,166

4; Claims. (CL- 255-2-3)' drawings and the appended claims.

In. thedrawings:-

Figure 1 is a plan.view-ofitherotary'of azsomeiwhat; conventional type: of; oil well drilling rig showing the same equipped with the-masterbushing or my: invention;

Figure 2 is a section on line II-Il2 of Figure 1 showing the hinge intle' and related parts of the improved bushing in. elevation;

Figure 3 is afragmentary section through the rotary of i av drillingv rig with: the improved master bushing in place and showing in elevation the interlocking portions thereof, the drill pipe. and the usual slips being omitted in the interest of cleamess;

Figure 4 is a view of' the" bushing in the process of: being liftedfromtherotary by: means effective to shift one of the parts ina longitudinal directionrelatively to the. other. so as to unlock and separate them;

Figure 5 is a plan view ofthe bushing showing the sections thereof swung toopen position;

Figure 6 is a-fragmentary detail illustrating a modification of the interlocking teeth wherein the abutting faces are tapered was to wedgingly secure the coacting parts of the bushing;

Figure 7 is an-enlarged-planlview of the'bushing illustrating a modified form wherein dowel" pins are used for detachably interlocking the parts; and

Figure 8 is a vertical section on line VIII----VIII' of Figure 7 illustrating the detail of a hingepin having different portions which increase in size by small increments so as to facilitate the separation of the parts and also illustrating the dowel pins for eflecting the interlock.

Referring in detail to the drawings, I represents the housing of a conventional form of rotary oil well drilling rig and I2 a power shaft for driving a bevel pinion l4 meshing with a bevel ring gear in a conventional manner so as ill to rotatethetable l8' of the rotary whichisrsupported on suitable anti-friction bearings 20: as suggested in Figure 3'. The rotary table 18? is provided" withan approximately square aperture 22 into which is usually fitted a master bushing. The master bushing of my invention isindicated asa whole at2t=and-is designed to-fit thestandard apertureZZ of" the rotary table-ofa conventional drilling rig;

My invention relates specifically to improved features of construction andarrangement of the master bushing 24 adapted to facilitate theseparation andsuhsequen-t couplingtogether of the component complementary partsof the bushing. The bushing, illustrated in the embodiment of .theanvention of-Figures l'to 6 inclusive, comprises complementary sections 26- and 23 hingedly: connected bya pintl'e or hinge pin 30, the parts when closed'jointly-forming-a recess 32 having a downwardly'tapered portion 34' for coaction with the conventional slips adapted to engage the drill pipe, the latter being omitted in the" interest of ciearness; Section 26 of the'bushing is provided with spaced lugs-36 and 38 and the-section. 28 is provided-with-similar lugs and 42. The lugs36 to 42? have aligned apertures formed therein to receive the hinge pintle- 30 extending. therethrough; Different portions along the lengthof this'pin", as illustrated,,varyin diameter by small increments, as do" the apertures" in the lugs, with which these varying portions of the pintle c'oaot.

This'feature is desirable to facilitate shifting the parts 26 and 28' relativelyto one another in the direction of the length of the pintle soas: to

(affect disengagement of the interlocking toothlike portions to b.e* resently described.

At points approximately diametrically-opposite the pintle 30, the complementary sections 26and 28' are formed with abutting longitudinal walls 446 -48, Mia-48a and"4 6b*-48'b: Thesection-ZB is provided with notched portions 50 and 52 and adjacent. upwardly extended teeth 50 and 52o. Similarly, the section.28 isformed with notched portions 54" and 56 andladjacent teeth 54a and 5611,, the teeth 50a and. 54a overlapping: or interlocking adjacent the top of the bushing and" -the teeth 52a and 56a interlocking near the lower portion of the bushing as clearly shown in Figure 3.

As shown in Figure 2, the complementary portions of the bushing are so proportioned and constructed as to prOVide a clearance space, indicated by the dimension line X in Figure 2, be-

tween the lugs 42 and 36 which is a. trifle greater than the vertical distance between the bottom of the notch 50 and the top of the tooth 50a, it being noted that this vertical distance is the same between the bottom of the notch 52 and the top of the tooth 52a.

In order to separate the interlocking connection between the complementary sections 26 and 28 it is merely necessary to shift them in the direction of the length of the pivot pin whereupon the interlocking teeth 50a and 54a and 52a and 56a will be disengaged so as to permit the sections to be swung relatively to one another, for example, to the position as shown in Figure This will permit the ready removal of slips and the drill pipe. The relative longitudinal shifting of the sections 26 and 28 can be conveniently effected by use of an overhead tackle, as shown in Figure 4. To this end I 58 and 69 so as to permit hooks 59 and BI to be engaged under pin-like grips 58a and 60a. The

hooks 59 and 6! may be located at the lower extremities of chains 62 and 64 which connect to a ring on a chain or cable leading to a suitable overhead hoist. In the tackle of Figure 4 it will be noted that chain 64 is shorter in length than chain 62. As thus arranged, an upward pull on the suspension hook 68 will first shift the section 28 upwardly relatively to the section 26 until the top of lug 42 takes up the clearance space marked X in Figure 2 and then strikes the underside of the lug 36. Thereafter the two parts will move upwardly in unison and since this relative longitudinalupward movement disconnectedthe in- .terlockingteeth, the parts can be readily separated to the condition of Figure 5. 1

In Figure 6. I have shown a modification in which the abutting faces of the teeth are adapted to be tapered, as shown by the inclined line of abutment 10. Such tapering of the teeth provides for wedgingly engaging the parts when they are in locked position, which in some cases is desirable.

In the modification of Figures 7 and 8 the complementary sections a and 28a are of substantially the same construction as shown in Figures l to 5 with the exception that instead of interlocking them by the useof coacting teeth, I provide a plurality of dowel pins '12 fixedly secured in one of the complementary members and making a slip fit with apertures 14 in the other section. The length of the projecting portions of the dowel pins is slightly less than the clearance marked X in Figure 8 so that when the top face of the lug 42 engages the bottom face of the lug 36, the dowels of one section will clear the apertured portions of the mating section, thus permitting separation of the parts as previously suggested in the construction shown in Figure 5.

It will be noted'that the bushing of my invention is automatically interlocked when positioned inthe rotary, and therefore maintains a substantially constant tapered recess for the slips irrespective of wear between the bushing and table. Also, upon separation of the interlocking portions of the bushing and upon raising the same from the table, the bushing parts are automati- While I have described features which are considered highly desirable from the standpoints of construction and practical operation, it is to be understood that substitutions of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A master bushing for the rotary table of an oil-well drilling machine, comprising a pair of generally semicylindrical complementary sections, each section having a pair of hinge lugs with aligned holes drilled therethrough, the lugs of each section interfitting with those of the provide recessed portions .cally released for opening movement about the pintle.

other, a pintle extending through said holes, the spacing between the lugs of one section being greater than the height of the lug of the other section disposed therebetween to permit said other section to be raised a predetermined distance relative thereto, said sections having interlocking portions on the side opposite said lugs and pintle, said interlocking portions each including a member on one section having a recess open' at the top and a downwardly projecting member fixed on the other section and adapted to penetrate said recess when said other section is in lowermost position by a distance less than said predetermined distance, whereby the interlocking portions are fully disengaged when said other section is raised said predetermined distance.

2. A bushing as defined by claim 1 characterized by said interlocking portions having the form of axially extending'notches on said one section and teeth on the other effective normally to lock said sections to one another, the axial length of said teeth and notches being slightly less than said predetermined distance.

3. A bushing as definedby claim 2 wherein the abutting faces of the notches and teeth are inclined axially to effect a wedging engagement of the sections.

4. A bushing as defined by claim 1 characterized by said downwardly projecting member be-- ing a lug with an axial dowel pin firmly secured thereto, and said recessed member being a lug with a hole therein to receive the projecting end of said dowel pin. n

. AUGUST R. MAIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 'file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,386,281 Watson Oct. 9, 1945 

